EVALUATING WEBSITES
Remember that anyone who knows how to use a computer and has Internet access can publish information to a website. While we know not everything written in books and databases is reliable, these types of sources at least go through an editing process where others check the information for accuracy, so they are more easily trustworthy. Because anyone can post anything online at any time, we need to know how to evaluate websites so we can be savvy researchers. While this will take time at first, the more you practice website evaluation, the quicker you will be able to do it. Soon, you will be able to scan a website and be able to determine within a brief moment whether or not you should use it for your research.
Wikipedia and other User-Generated Sites
Wikipedia isn't all bad, but it is an encyclopedia where anyone can create articles and edit information. Sure, articles get checked, but a lot goes unnoticed, and often, Wikipedia will just put a disclaimer on an article about how something does not have sufficient references. We will never be able to tell who wrote or edited an article on Wikipedia, as that remains hidden, and often, articles are written and edited by many, many people. The same goes for sites like Yahoo!Answers and Answers.com. Anyone can write in responses to users' questions. Sure some of the answers are accurate, but many are not. In addition, just like with Wikipedia, we know very little if anything about the authors of the information on these sites.
General Rule: Wikipedia and other user-generated sites are fine for things like background research to become familiar with a topic (info you will not be citing in your assignment) or topics you just are interested in reading about. But, if you are going to use your research for a graded assignment, do not use these sites. Unless your teacher instructs otherwise, these sites should not be used to provide information in any graded assignment nor should we see them as a source in your works cited.
The video below from EasyBib helps show the difference between user-generated and other sources:
Wikipedia isn't all bad, but it is an encyclopedia where anyone can create articles and edit information. Sure, articles get checked, but a lot goes unnoticed, and often, Wikipedia will just put a disclaimer on an article about how something does not have sufficient references. We will never be able to tell who wrote or edited an article on Wikipedia, as that remains hidden, and often, articles are written and edited by many, many people. The same goes for sites like Yahoo!Answers and Answers.com. Anyone can write in responses to users' questions. Sure some of the answers are accurate, but many are not. In addition, just like with Wikipedia, we know very little if anything about the authors of the information on these sites.
General Rule: Wikipedia and other user-generated sites are fine for things like background research to become familiar with a topic (info you will not be citing in your assignment) or topics you just are interested in reading about. But, if you are going to use your research for a graded assignment, do not use these sites. Unless your teacher instructs otherwise, these sites should not be used to provide information in any graded assignment nor should we see them as a source in your works cited.
The video below from EasyBib helps show the difference between user-generated and other sources:
Use the A.P.A.R.T Method: These are criteria you should be assessing when deciding a "good" website from a "bad" one.
When deciding whether or not to use a website, ask yourself: "Did I first take the website A.P.A.R.T?"
When deciding whether or not to use a website, ask yourself: "Did I first take the website A.P.A.R.T?"
Authority: who's responsible for the information. Can you find out anything about the author(s)? Does the author have the credentials to inform on this topic (i.e. a medical doctor giving information about a disease). Is there a way to contact the author? If the "author" is a company or organization, is it one you know and trust (i.e. PBS, CNN, The New York Times)?
Purpose: the reason the information exists. For research, your ideal website purpose is to inform. Be wary of websites that have heavy opinions or biases
Accuracy: the reliability and correctness of information. Can you or others verify the information? Are references provided for where the author obtained his/her information? Are there typographical, spelling, or grammatical mistakes (this would indicate a poor website)?
Relevance: usefulness of the information to your research needs. Is the information useful for your research? Just because information is trustworthy and accurate doesn't mean you should use it - if it doesn't help your research, move on! Is the information at an appropriate age level (not too challenging, not too elementary, etc)?
Timeliness: timeliness of the information. When was the information written, posted, or last revised? Does this matter to what you are researching (i.e. this doesn't so much matter for research on the Civil War but it does for a topic like global warming)?
Purpose: the reason the information exists. For research, your ideal website purpose is to inform. Be wary of websites that have heavy opinions or biases
Accuracy: the reliability and correctness of information. Can you or others verify the information? Are references provided for where the author obtained his/her information? Are there typographical, spelling, or grammatical mistakes (this would indicate a poor website)?
Relevance: usefulness of the information to your research needs. Is the information useful for your research? Just because information is trustworthy and accurate doesn't mean you should use it - if it doesn't help your research, move on! Is the information at an appropriate age level (not too challenging, not too elementary, etc)?
Timeliness: timeliness of the information. When was the information written, posted, or last revised? Does this matter to what you are researching (i.e. this doesn't so much matter for research on the Civil War but it does for a topic like global warming)?
Need helping determining the validity of a source? Check out these great sources!
A.P.A.R.T Worksheet This is View only. Either:
1. You will need to make a copy of it to add it to your Drive in order to edit it.
2. Or, if your teacher already shared with you in your Shared Drive, you should also be able to edit.